Image source, afp

Super Puma 225 helicopters, which were grounded after a fatal crash in Norway, are to fly over the North Sea again.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Norwegian authorities have allowed flights to resume if operators meet new safety conditions.

A crash involving the helicopter off the coast of Norway killed 13 people, including Iain Stuart from Aberdeenshire, in April 2016.

The Unite Union has expressed concern about the decision.

Read more here.

Airbus, external, the manufacturer of Superpuma helicopters, has carried out a survey of North Sea workers and aircrew in order to establish their attitudes towards helicopter safety:

• 62% of respondents would be unlikely to fly in a Superpuma helicopter, given a choice
• 44% of respondents were unaware of work done to improve safety since the Superpuma crash in April 2016

Unite the Union, external has launched a petition opposing the reintroduction of supethe Superpuma helicopters, signed by thousands of offshore workers who remain concerned about their safety and reputation.

Image source, MIHAI CRISAN

Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald will now lead a debate entitled 'Workforce Concerns Regarding Helicopter Safety in the North Sea'.

Mr Macdonald uses his motion to say the Civil Aviation Authority has lifted the ban on the use of Superpuma H225LP and AS332L2 helicopters in the UK despite continuing concerns over the safety of these helicopters among offshore workers.

Image source, bbc

The government motion calling for the backing of a fracking ban, as amended, is agreed to with 91 MSPs backing it and 28 against.

The Lib Dem amendment is also agreed to.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

MSPs agree to the Labour amendment.

90 MSPs backed it, 90 were against and there was one abstention.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

MSPs reject the fracking amendment from the Tories.

28 MSPs backed it and 90 voted against with one abstention.

Image source, bbc

Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse says this is the culmination of nearly four years of careful consideration of fracking, with full engagement.

Mr Wheelhouse says the government considered impartial, independent, researched evidence and then considered the results of the consultation, before deciding on a ban.

Mr Wheelhouse says there is a moral responsibility to tackle climate change.

He pays tribute to Claudia Beamish and says the SNP will back Labour's amendment, as well as that of the Greens and the Lib Dems.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Alexander Burnett says the SNP position on frcking has been nothing short of impractical and badly principled.

Mr Burnett says the government has banned what could have been the "gold rush of this century".

He says: "Shame on the Scottish governmentfor turning down such a fantastic opportunity for many Scots."

Mr Burnett says a shift to natural gas from coal has cut emissions.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says the case for onshore fracking has not been made.

Ms Baillie says it is a little bit perverse to want to use another fossil fuel as we battle climate change.

The Labour MSP says there were many claims about the economic benefits fracking would bring.

She says the claims tended to be far greater than the actual reality.

Image source, bbc

Green MSP Alison Johnstone says she welcomes the fact that four parties are backing a ban on fracking today, but points out to Labour's Neil Findlay that that was not always the case.

Ms Johnstone says the Greens have stood shoulder to shoulder with people in the central belt who were most likely to be affected by fracking.

She says we need to ensure the ban lasts longer than the lifetime of this government.

Ms Johnstone stresses the importance of putting the ban in the national planning framework.